We hear more and more from doctors about the necessity of using sunglasses, hats, and sunscreen to protect us from French-frying our skin while searching for big fish.
That’s the really important stuff, but there are also good reasons for polarizing sunglasses for year around fishing. All sunglasses reduce eye strain and squinting. In summer we want dark glasses that will cut light transmission to protect our eyes. In addition, polarizing glasses prevent eye strain which is a big problem with the sun reflecting glare off of the water surface.
Glare is also a big problem in spotting fish and underwater structure. Solving that problem goes a long way to putting you in the driver’s seat when it comes to corralling fish. Knowledge of any underwater structure helps us find fish to present a lure or bait to the right spot in the best way.
One of the keys to finding fish in coastal waterways and rivers is structure, whether that structure is a rock, log, fishing pier, docked boat, sharp drop-off or one of the many variations of these.
For example, a rock in a river creates a calm water buffer zone around and particularly down river of it. These are spots where fish can rest without fighting the current. Groceries going by in the fast current are easily accessible to any fish by swinging out to grab a bite and then returning to the calm water comfort area. By using polarizing glasses, it is easy to see the shape and depth of any structure and how to present a lure or bait the best possible way.
With most structure, it is best to run a lure past all sides of the structure, wading or moving your boat to best present the lure. In running water, you can present a bait the same way, casting upstream and with a short high line to prevent drag, allowing the bait to drift naturally through fishy spots.
Since elimination of glare and the ability to see underwater is dependent upon seeing the spot with the sun at the right angle, there are tricks to make this easier. One is to move your glasses at angles; holding them to adjust the glass position. This allows the polarizing screen within the glasses to change position, and be adjusted to the correct angle to reduce glare and see clearly at maximum depths.
The same can be done by moving your head at an angle from side to side. By moving your head back and forth, you can determine the best angle to spot fish, bottom and structure.
This becomes valuable with freshwater fishing. With trout, it allows seeing fish as well as structure in small trout streams. On larger rivers, smallmouth often follow carp rooting through the shallows for crayfish. Whether fishing for carp or smallmouth, polarizing glasses allow spotting the fish and casting a bait, lure or fly to the perfect spot for your quarry to intercept your offering and end up as a fish-on.